COLLECTION NAME:
Colorado Coal Project
mediaCollectionId
UCBOULDERCB1~76~76
Colorado Coal Project
Collection
true
Collection Name:
Colorado Coal Project
collection_name
Colorado Coal Project
Collection Name
false
Title:
Interview with Mike Livoda (part 2 of 4), including his wife, Kate
title
Interview with Mike Livoda (part 2 of 4), including his wife, Kate
Title
false
Creator:
Margolis, Eric, 1947-
creator
Margolis, Eric, 1947-
Creator
false
Creator URI:
creator_uri
http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n00101170
Creator URI
false
Creator:
McMahan, Ronald L.
creator
McMahan, Ronald L.
Creator
false
Creator URI:
creator_uri
http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no94033808
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false
Subject:
Coal mines and mining--Colorado--Huerfano County
subject
Coal mines and mining--Colorado--Huerfano County
Subject
false
Subject:
Coal mines and mining
subject
Coal mines and mining
Subject
false
Subject URI:
subject_uri
http://id.worldcat.org/fast/865355
Subject URI
false
Subject:
United Mine Workers of America
subject
United Mine Workers of America
Subject
false
Subject:
Coal Strike (Colorado : 1913-1914)
subject
Coal Strike (Colorado : 1913-1914)
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false
Subject URI:
subject_uri
http://id.worldcat.org/fast/1404237
Subject URI
false
Subject:
Colorado Fuel and Iron Corporation
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Colorado Fuel and Iron Corporation
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false
Subject URI:
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http://id.worldcat.org/fast/572994
Subject URI
false
Subject:
Jones, Mother, 1837-1930
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Jones, Mother, 1837-1930
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false
Subject URI:
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http://id.worldcat.org/fast/1730605
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false
Subject:
Interviews
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Interviews
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Subject URI:
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http://id.worldcat.org/fast/1423832
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false
Subject:
Coal mines and mining--Colorado--Las Animas County
subject
Coal mines and mining--Colorado--Las Animas County
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false
Subject:
Strikes and lockouts--Coal mining--Colorado
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Strikes and lockouts--Coal mining--Colorado
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false
Subject URI:
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http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85128770
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false
Subject:
Labor disputes--Colorado
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Labor disputes--Colorado
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Subject:
Lawson, John R., 1871-1945
subject
Lawson, John R., 1871-1945
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false
Subject URI:
subject_uri
http://id.worldcat.org/fast/372494
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false
Subject:
Coal miners--Personal narratives
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Coal miners--Personal narratives
Subject
false
Description:
(At the time of this interview, Mike Livoda was 94 years old and his wife Kate was 84.) He started work at steel mills in Steubenville, Ohio: 12 hours/day for $1.75. He left to prospect in Alaska, but only got as far as Butte, Montana. He began coal mining: liked the work and the people (many different nationalities who all got along). He moved to Colorado: despite state law limiting the workday to 8 hours, coal companies demanded 10. The company wouldn't permit the miners to hire a checkweighman, to verify the weight of their coal. Also, the companies didn't pay miners for non-production work: for timbering, or "narrow work". In southern Colorado, Bob Ulich got Mike to work for U.M.W.A and to organize a miners' union; by 1912, there were ~ 8,000 miners working in the canyons near Ludlow. He was forced out of Walsenburg by Sheriff Jeff Farr and beaten; Livoda called deputy Shorty Martinez the "stooge of the sheriff" (tho Shorty later joined the union cause). Livoda discusses the 1913/1914 strike: In preparation, the miners met in convention -- concluded the company would not negotiate with them -- and set the date for the strike as 23 Sept. 1913. The company kicked the miners out of company housing and the snow began to fall. About 1500 people were living in tents at Ludlow, with others at Aguilar and Walsenburg. Each tent colony was managed by a committee; at Ludlow, Diamond and Louis Tikas were considered leaders. Mike traveled from one tent colony to another, trying to keep spirits up. The different ethnic groups in the tent colonies got along well. Livoda worked during the strike with Mother Jones, who was already an old woman -- but was quickly revived and ready for more speeches after a bottle of beer. Mother Jones was arrested and confined in the Mt. San Rafael Hospital in Trinidad; strikers marched in her support but were met by opponents on horseback. (As an aside, Livoda does not favor women working in the mines today.) On 11 April 1914, Lippiet was killed in nearby Trinidad by Belcher (who was later shot and killed, despite the steel vest he wore). Belcher was supposedly shot by Louis Zancanelli (tho A. B. McGarry and Sam Carter were also involved, to some extent). ML helped these 2 to escape. (Zancanelli was later jailed for almost 3 years and then tried, which resulted in a hung jury.) The strikers and the militia were on opposite sides of the C & S railroad track. Livoda claims that the National Guardsmen were often former company guards; he calls Linderfelt "… a son of a bitch". On 20 April 1914 (Greek Easter Sunday), Tikas went to the militia to talk and was killed. When fighting in Ludlow started, Livoda and John Lawson jumped into a car and headed to the colony. They couldn't get past the surrounding guards. Lawson went on to Aguilar. For about a week Mike was about 1.5 miles outside the cordon, waiting with a rifle for a chance to storm the guards. They didn't know the number of casualties for 1-2 weeks after the massacre. They view and discuss photos of Gen. "Jeb" Chase, commander of the National Guard, and the "death special", a vehicle-mounted with a machine gun. (Mrs. Kate Livoda joins the interview; the couple married 63 years ago, in 1917.) At the turn of century, Trinidad catered to the miners who came into town on Saturday night. Kate recalls a rough childhood: other kids -- and even teachers -- looked down on miners' children; they had to get by on cheap food and poor housing. Life in the coal camps was tough: outhouses, hauling water, walking several miles to school; the superintendent's children would get the front seats in the company school; the miners were paid in the script and had to shop at the company store. As a child, Kate lived in the coal camps in Tercio and Primrose. When work ceased, they'd have to travel in the caboose between camps. They couldn't afford to buy coal, so they would pick it from the RR tracks. Her father was blackballed from the mines because of his speeches supporting better working conditions, so they moved into Trinidad. She was working for the telephone company in 1913 when she met Mike Livoda. Kate recalls the "women's march" in Trinidad; Kate was on the post-office steps (near her workplace) during the women's march. Mother Jones was detained in the hospital; women supporters of the strikers marched to it, and she was released. Mother Jones forced the opponents to remove a machine gun atop the First National Bank at the corner of Main and Commercial Streets, in the center of Trinidad. Kate didn't feel that Mother Jones cared much for the miners' women; she was tiny, but had a strong voice; she was intelligent but profane -- and she enjoyed a bottle of beer after her speech. The phone company was swamped when Belcher was killed, and Livoda was insisting that she put thru his call. Kate was also working when Lippiet (a union organizer) was killed. When the 1913 strike began, she was a long-distance operator; lines were busy with calls from the Pinkerton group and from the strike supporters. The townspeople generally supported the union and donated ammunition for the strikers. Louis Tikas approached to the militia to parley about protection for the women and children -- when he was killed. Most of the militiamen left the area after the massacre; public sentiment was strongly against them. (Mike Livoda returns to the interview.) At the time of the 1913/1914 strike, he describes local officials in Las Animas and Huerfano counties as "…tools of the coal corporation". Miners wanted better working conditions: an honest checkweighman, 8-hour work-days, and the right to shop elsewhere than the company store. Strikers got $3/week strike pay (and $1/week for their wife and 50 cents per child per week). During the strike, families helped each other and the union provided some health care. Mike recalls that on Greek Easter Sunday (20 April 1914), trouble started when National Guardsmen insulted strikers' wives. Afterward, Mike and others were hiding in the hills, until the Federal troops arrived. Livoda kept his rifle; most others turned theirs into the Federal troops. After the massacre, the union rebuilt the tent colony at Ludlow; nearby farmers provided the strikers with food. The couple recollects Glenn Altman, a photographer in Trinidad. Years after the strike, there were still differences and hard feelings in the town between miners and other residents. They talk about changes in the old coal communities: some now with only retired miners; one camp near Cokedale lies under the water of a newly-built dam; other people have begun to use oil or natural gas for fuel. At Tercio, the only thing left is the building of the old company store. Mike distinguishes between domestic and coking coal: from Aguilar north, the coal couldn't be used to make coke; from Aguilar south into New Mexico were found deposits of coking coal. The Allen mine now employs about 300, mostly young Hispanic miners. When mining work became scarce, ML worked running the CCC camps near Walden and Craig, Colo. Livoda recalls his night-time beating in Ravenwood, by American Fuel Co. men and the sheriff. They found him hiding in a miner's house. Afterward, for 4 days he hid in a Walsenburg shack, near the tailor's shop and the Polish Hall. The sheriff of Huerfano County, Jeff Farr, had declared himself "king of the county" and tried to run Livoda out of Walsenburg. During the "Ten Days' War" (after the Ludlow massacre), John Lawson sent Livoda to organize fighters to take over Ludlow and other sites, such as Aguilar and Trinidad. They attacked the Southwestern and Jewel mines (also Rugby, Primrose, and Rauss). The striking miners burned some coal tipples (and may have killed some mine mules). Afterward, Livoda went to the Black Hills to work as an organizer there. The interviewer gets the couple to sing "Union Forever". Mike reflects on his long life: despite the struggles, he always thought they would eventually win. Tho he didn't consider himself well-educated, he did try to help organize workers for more pay. They discuss a photo showing U.M.W.A organizers: Bill Diamond, Bob Ulich, and Mike Livoda. They discuss Joe and Emma Zanetell, who during the strike were in the tent colony at Forbes. At the time, she gave birth to stillborn twins; the colony went to Trinidad for the burial -- in their absence, the militia attacked and destroyed the tents.
description
(At the time of this interview, Mike Livoda was 94 years old and his wife Kate was 84.) He started work at steel mills in Steubenville, Ohio: 12 hours/day for $1.75. He left to prospect in Alaska, but only got as far as Butte, Montana. He began coal mining: liked the work and the people (many different nationalities who all got along). He moved to Colorado: despite state law limiting the workday to 8 hours, coal companies demanded 10. The company wouldn't permit the miners to hire a checkweighman, to verify the weight of their coal. Also, the companies didn't pay miners for non-production work: for timbering, or "narrow work". In southern Colorado, Bob Ulich got Mike to work for U.M.W.A and to organize a miners' union; by 1912, there were ~ 8,000 miners working in the canyons near Ludlow. He was forced out of Walsenburg by Sheriff Jeff Farr and beaten; Livoda called deputy Shorty Martinez the "stooge of the sheriff" (tho Shorty later joined the union cause). Livoda discusses the 1913/1914 strike: In preparation, the miners met in convention -- concluded the company would not negotiate with them -- and set the date for the strike as 23 Sept. 1913. The company kicked the miners out of company housing and the snow began to fall. About 1500 people were living in tents at Ludlow, with others at Aguilar and Walsenburg. Each tent colony was managed by a committee; at Ludlow, Diamond and Louis Tikas were considered leaders. Mike traveled from one tent colony to another, trying to keep spirits up. The different ethnic groups in the tent colonies got along well. Livoda worked during the strike with Mother Jones, who was already an old woman -- but was quickly revived and ready for more speeches after a bottle of beer. Mother Jones was arrested and confined in the Mt. San Rafael Hospital in Trinidad; strikers marched in her support but were met by opponents on horseback. (As an aside, Livoda does not favor women working in the mines today.) On 11 April 1914, Lippiet was killed in nearby Trinidad by Belcher (who was later shot and killed, despite the steel vest he wore). Belcher was supposedly shot by Louis Zancanelli (tho A. B. McGarry and Sam Carter were also involved, to some extent). ML helped these 2 to escape. (Zancanelli was later jailed for almost 3 years and then tried, which resulted in a hung jury.) The strikers and the militia were on opposite sides of the C & S railroad track. Livoda claims that the National Guardsmen were often former company guards; he calls Linderfelt "… a son of a bitch". On 20 April 1914 (Greek Easter Sunday), Tikas went to the militia to talk and was killed. When fighting in Ludlow started, Livoda and John Lawson jumped into a car and headed to the colony. They couldn't get past the surrounding guards. Lawson went on to Aguilar. For about a week Mike was about 1.5 miles outside the cordon, waiting with a rifle for a chance to storm the guards. They didn't know the number of casualties for 1-2 weeks after the massacre. They view and discuss photos of Gen. "Jeb" Chase, commander of the National Guard, and the "death special", a vehicle-mounted with a machine gun. (Mrs. Kate Livoda joins the interview; the couple married 63 years ago, in 1917.) At the turn of century, Trinidad catered to the miners who came into town on Saturday night. Kate recalls a rough childhood: other kids -- and even teachers -- looked down on miners' children; they had to get by on cheap food and poor housing. Life in the coal camps was tough: outhouses, hauling water, walking several miles to school; the superintendent's children would get the front seats in the company school; the miners were paid in the script and had to shop at the company store. As a child, Kate lived in the coal camps in Tercio and Primrose. When work ceased, they'd have to travel in the caboose between camps. They couldn't afford to buy coal, so they would pick it from the RR tracks. Her father was blackballed from the mines because of his speeches supporting better working conditions, so they moved into Trinidad. She was working for the telephone company in 1913 when she met Mike Livoda. Kate recalls the "women's march" in Trinidad; Kate was on the post-office steps (near her workplace) during the women's march. Mother Jones was detained in the hospital; women supporters of the strikers marched to it, and she was released. Mother Jones forced the opponents to remove a machine gun atop the First National Bank at the corner of Main and Commercial Streets, in the center of Trinidad. Kate didn't feel that Mother Jones cared much for the miners' women; she was tiny, but had a strong voice; she was intelligent but profane -- and she enjoyed a bottle of beer after her speech. The phone company was swamped when Belcher was killed, and Livoda was insisting that she put thru his call. Kate was also working when Lippiet (a union organizer) was killed. When the 1913 strike began, she was a long-distance operator; lines were busy with calls from the Pinkerton group and from the strike supporters. The townspeople generally supported the union and donated ammunition for the strikers. Louis Tikas approached to the militia to parley about protection for the women and children -- when he was killed. Most of the militiamen left the area after the massacre; public sentiment was strongly against them. (Mike Livoda returns to the interview.) At the time of the 1913/1914 strike, he describes local officials in Las Animas and Huerfano counties as "…tools of the coal corporation". Miners wanted better working conditions: an honest checkweighman, 8-hour work-days, and the right to shop elsewhere than the company store. Strikers got $3/week strike pay (and $1/week for their wife and 50 cents per child per week). During the strike, families helped each other and the union provided some health care. Mike recalls that on Greek Easter Sunday (20 April 1914), trouble started when National Guardsmen insulted strikers' wives. Afterward, Mike and others were hiding in the hills, until the Federal troops arrived. Livoda kept his rifle; most others turned theirs into the Federal troops. After the massacre, the union rebuilt the tent colony at Ludlow; nearby farmers provided the strikers with food. The couple recollects Glenn Altman, a photographer in Trinidad. Years after the strike, there were still differences and hard feelings in the town between miners and other residents. They talk about changes in the old coal communities: some now with only retired miners; one camp near Cokedale lies under the water of a newly-built dam; other people have begun to use oil or natural gas for fuel. At Tercio, the only thing left is the building of the old company store. Mike distinguishes between domestic and coking coal: from Aguilar north, the coal couldn't be used to make coke; from Aguilar south into New Mexico were found deposits of coking coal. The Allen mine now employs about 300, mostly young Hispanic miners. When mining work became scarce, ML worked running the CCC camps near Walden and Craig, Colo. Livoda recalls his night-time beating in Ravenwood, by American Fuel Co. men and the sheriff. They found him hiding in a miner's house. Afterward, for 4 days he hid in a Walsenburg shack, near the tailor's shop and the Polish Hall. The sheriff of Huerfano County, Jeff Farr, had declared himself "king of the county" and tried to run Livoda out of Walsenburg. During the "Ten Days' War" (after the Ludlow massacre), John Lawson sent Livoda to organize fighters to take over Ludlow and other sites, such as Aguilar and Trinidad. They attacked the Southwestern and Jewel mines (also Rugby, Primrose, and Rauss). The striking miners burned some coal tipples (and may have killed some mine mules). Afterward, Livoda went to the Black Hills to work as an organizer there. The interviewer gets the couple to sing "Union Forever". Mike reflects on his long life: despite the struggles, he always thought they would eventually win. Tho he didn't consider himself well-educated, he did try to help organize workers for more pay. They discuss a photo showing U.M.W.A organizers: Bill Diamond, Bob Ulich, and Mike Livoda. They discuss Joe and Emma Zanetell, who during the strike were in the tent colony at Forbes. At the time, she gave birth to stillborn twins; the colony went to Trinidad for the burial -- in their absence, the militia attacked and destroyed the tents.
Description
false
Description Type:
summary
description_type
summary
Description Type
false
Publisher:
University of Colorado Boulder Archives
publisher
University of Colorado Boulder Archives
Publisher
false
Contributor:
Livoda, Kate
contributor
Livoda, Kate
Contributor
false
Contributor:
Livoda, Mike, 1886-1984
contributor
Livoda, Mike, 1886-1984
Contributor
false
Date:
1980-09-20
date
1980-09-20
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Type:
Text
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Text
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Format:
application/pdf
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Identifier:
narv_coloradoCoal_transLivoda2.pdf
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narv_coloradoCoal_transLivoda2.pdf
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https://ark.colorado.edu/ark:/47540/ts4x3314z0rh
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Language:
English
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English
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Relation:
Title: Interview with Mike Livoda (part 3 of 4), including his wife, Kate
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Coverage (Spatial):
Ludlow (Las Animas, Colorado, United States, North America) (populated place)
coverage__spatial_
Ludlow (Las Animas, Colorado, United States, North America) (populated place)
Coverage (Spatial)
false
Coverage (Temporal):
1907/1980
coverage__temporal_
1907/1980
Coverage (Temporal)
false
Coverage (Spatial):
Trinidad (Las Animas, Colorado, United States, North America) (populated place)
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Trinidad (Las Animas, Colorado, United States, North America) (populated place)
Coverage (Spatial)
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Coverage (Spatial):
Walsenburg (Huerfano, Colorado, United States, North America) (populated place)
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Walsenburg (Huerfano, Colorado, United States, North America) (populated place)
Coverage (Spatial)
false